On Sept. 16, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced that it will launch a year-long partnership program with the two popular rideshare apps Uber and Lyft. This new and unique program will provide the possibility of subsidized fares for The Ride users.
Up until now, The Ride was the only paratransit program that offered transportation services in the Boston Area for disabled customers. However, this service has faced much criticism by its riders. Problems listed included long wait times and unreliability.
In order to provide better service to disabled customers who cannot use the T or buses, the MBTA has now announced that it will subsidize Uber or Lyft rides for eligible riders. According to the official statement released on the MBTA’s website, this partnership program will have many advantages for current The Ride users, including shorter wait times, faster trips, and private rides.
Eligible riders will be able to book their rides directly through the apps. Users then will only need to pay $2 per trip, while the MBTA will subsidize the rest of the fare on rides up to $13. Once the balance exceeds $15, users will have to pay the rest. This compares positively to the costs of the regular The Ride service. The latter charges customers a flat fare of $3.15. However, The Ride only covers certain areas in and around Boston, while Uber and Lyft provides service on a much larger scale.
Another big advantage is that The Ride customers will be able to book a ride on demand whenever they need it. In contrast, when using The Ride, customers need to request a ride at least 24 hours in advance by phone. With this new system, riders will be able to be much more flexible than before.
During the press conference at the the Perkins School for the Blind, MBTA CEO and Secretary Stephanie Pollack explained that this partnership will give those people who depend on The Ride “the choice to use an on-demand service like Uber or Lyft.” She also added, “I know what you want is exactly what everyone else wants: the ability to get to school and work on time.”
Other attendees of the event, who believe that this new partnership program will improve transportation service for disabled people in the Boston area, included Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, MBTA officials, and executives of Uber and Lyft.
Chris Taylor, Uber Boston’s General Manager, emphasized that their company wants to make transportation “reliable, convenient, and affordable for all—and that does mean everybody.”
Lyft Boston’s General Manager Tyler George hit a similar tone, saying that “the innovative thinkers at the MBTA were sketching out how they could bring this new technology to more people in the Commonwealth.”
Current The Ride customers and other eligible users can sign up to participate in this program on the MBTA website.